They propose eliminating incest as a crime in the new Penal Code.

The Chamber of Deputies is almost ready to debate and approve the second reading of the draft of the new Penal Code , which, among its proposed amendments, includes the elimination of incest as a crime , as it is classified under the article on sexual assault .

According to a proposal document obtained by Diario Libre , the original Penal Code would be amended to eliminate Article 140 on incest , since, according to the suggestion, the crime is included within sexual assaults by adult relatives against minors as "an aggravating factor."

" Incest is a moral issue, not a legal one. Incest is not a crime ; touching a minor is a crime in itself, and it is aggravated if it is done by a family member," the text of possible proposals states.

Other changes that would be presented before approving the Penal Code in the second discussion are the elimination of voluntary hormonal treatment , essentially chemical castrations , since they would be contrary to the Constitution .

Furthermore, if the proposals are accepted, only very serious penalties against humanity, such as enforced disappearance or crimes against humanity, would remain imprescriptible, and cyberbullying would also be added to the article that addresses bullying in general.

Regarding domestic violence , the package of proposals includes changes to the crime of domestic violence to allow it to be punished without necessarily requiring a pattern of conduct , but rather to penalize even if it has been committed only once.

Likewise, the penalty range for eliminating homicide would be modified to now range from five to 20 years, as the bill approved by the Senate ranged from 10 to 20 years.

Other proposed changes to the bill include tougher penalties for reckless shooting in the air, increased penalties for counterfeit medicines , and increased penalties for discrimination.

Article omitted

When the draft Penal Code was approved in the Senate , the president of the Chamber of Deputies , Alfredo Pacheco, admitted that the technicians of the Upper House noticed a " technical error " in which an article was omitted.

Pacheco promised that the deleted article, specifically Article 290, will be reinstated when the piece is debated in the Chamber of Deputies .

According to the draft Penal Code , the omitted article 290 establishes that any public official or servant who obstructs or prevents a person, unlawfully or through threats, from exercising the freedom of expression, work, association, assembly, conscience and worship shall be punished with one to two years of minor imprisonment.

What follows

The Criminal Code bill has already been fully approved in the Senate, but it must return to that legislative branch for the group of amendments that will be included in the Chamber of Deputies when it is approved on second reading.

Congressional regulations establish that a bill will be returned to the chamber that first approved it when the other chamber submits any modifications to it.

If the Senate adopts the changes and approves the initiative , the bill would go to the Executive Branch, and President Luis Abinader would have to decide whether to enact it or return it to Congress.

TOPICS -